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Measure For Measure

by Owen Franklin

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1.
Excuse me friend, but I think you forgot That I know who you are, and I know who you’re not This persona you’ve adopted all too recently It just isn’t ringing true Yeah I can’t tell who you think you’ll impress With your phony personality and fancy dress You’ve abandoned every scrap of your integrity In a bid to start anew But hang on, you won’t get very far You’ve been false for so long you forgot who you are I accept what I’m not and I’m all that I aspire to be Yeah I’m best at being me I always thought that being yourself was a given Since you only get one life and that’s the one that you’re living But I see so many people wearing flimsy disguises That it leaves me short of breath (jeez) But even worse are those motherlovers Who inflate their bloated egos just by picking on others Those attention-seeking bullies everybody despises Let them talk themselves to death ‘Cause I know that the source of their hate Is ‘cause they feel a strong urge to compensate For the fact that they’re not half as great as they set out to be Yeah I’m best at being me So please don’t think that I am putting on a show ‘Cause what you see is what you get For better or for worse I am this person and that’s all there is to know But please don’t go, ‘cause there’s still some life in me yet So I guess that unfortunately I just can’t be the person you’d like me to be I’ve gotta work with the things that I’m already stuck with, you see ‘Cause that’s all I know how to be Yeah I’m best at being me
2.
Victoria 03:11
We met in the grounds of an old country house It was many years back in July Where the sunshine beat down on the hard English ground And Victoria smiled at the sky We played cricket and cards and we propped up the bar The piano roared into the night So I sang Billy Joel and I sang from my soul And Victoria clapped with delight Though we beat on like boats in the current of Time There are memories we can’t leave behind All the people and places we never forget Well Victoria’s still on my mind When the girls met the man then the trouble began There were clashes of passion and pride But Victoria’s friendships meant more in the end So Victoria stood to one side All the journeys and joys that we treasure and share All the lives that become intertwined But I’m lost in a dream of nostalgia it seems And Victoria’s still on my mind How she wished that she’d missed watching them as they kissed The indignity driving her blind So she ran down the stairs with her tears in her hair Leaving lovers and losers behind So we run from the past as it snaps at our heels But Time’s passage is often unkind Though it fades over time, well the pain never dies And it’s still on Victoria’s mind
3.
Trapped like an insect in a spider’s web Or a fish upon a hook You’ve been absolutely spellbound, boy Just a wink was all it took Every movement seems to welcome you From a flick of her hair to a swish of her skirt But she’s waiting for a chance to stick a knife in your spine And boy that will do more than hurt You’re trying too hard You won’t get very far boy If she asks you to dance you’re gonna wind up doing the Danse Macabre Other people shy away from her Can you guess the reason why? It’s been said that people dance with her On the night before they die Boy, you’re nothing but a snack for her She’ll swallow ya whole and then spit out ya bones She’ll break your heart and then she’ll stop it dead And it’s nobody’s fault but your own ‘cuz you’re trying too hard You won’t get very far boy If she asks you to dance you’re gonna wind up doing the Danse Macabre You know that you’ll never be missed Just another name on her list But how can you even resist, oh here we go So you think you’ll be the first to win her heart Or you think the risk is worth the thrill If you seek it you’ll find it, and more than you bargained for, of that I’m sure If only you realised that sometimes looks can kill You won’t get very far You’re trying much, much, much too hard Yes yes you are, yes you’re trying too hard You won’t get very far If she asks you to dance you’re gonna wind up doing the Danse Macabre
4.
Springsteen 02:58
There’s a darkness on the edge of town I can feel it closing in Oh there’s something in the night and it just ain’t right Yeah it stinks of sweat of smoke and sin These badlands just got worse And the dream has disappeared ‘Cause the promised land we sought was never round here Mr Springsteen can you hear me? Can you tell me what I must do? I don’t know any girls called Mary But I really want to live my life like you But further on up the road I see a glimmer of light I’m gonna leave my city of ruins and head for paradise It’s an empty sky and a lonesome day ‘Cause you’re missing, we’re worlds apart But you’re waiting up that road, I know in my heart Mr Springsteen do you receive me? Is my message coming through? ‘Cause I’m telling ya Bruce, you’ve gotta believe me You’re the reason that I’m doing what I do So what if I never was never built to last? ‘Cause still I’ll stand my ground Against the storm that’s ripping through this town When night came down it came down fast It chased me through the backstreets until at last I saw the sun I saw her face in the sun And if she’s the one Then for tramps like her, maybe I was born to run
5.
Lately I’ve been watching a storm gathering out on the ocean Wondering if the stress from the thunder is bad for my health Lately I’ve been sensing my life’s moving in slow motion Guess I’m trying to tell you that lately I’ve not been myself What does a tempest care for pauper or for prince? It won’t discriminate, it makes no difference We are all the same in the eye of the storm Like the day that we die and the day we were born We stand on the brink of insignificance If you should stumble and fall I don’t think I could take it So stand with your back to the wall or the tempest will break it Please don’t be foolish, you are just a mortal man You can run, you can hide, but you can’t prevent its arrival There are forces of nature we’re unable to fight Like the fall of the sun and the rise of the night So take shelter my friend, it’s your only chance of survival Stay close and keep hold of my hand and I think we can make it Abandon your house on the sand or the tempest will shake it So I’ll burn my books or drown them in the deepest ocean Burn my books or drown them in the deepest ocean Burn my books or drown them all and cast my sins away So open wide and let me in I will seep under your skin Once I’m there you won’t feel pain In fact you’ll never feel a thing again The wind and rain will spit in your face but all in vain You’ll be oblivious to it all, to it all So take my hand, forget what’s been Here’s to a cloudless future
6.
I was thirteen when I realised that bastard Walt Disney had ruined my life With false expectations that all situations would end in a sunny day So fuck you Walt Disney ‘cause life just doesn’t work that way It doesn’t matter how much you sing You can plead ‘til you drop but it don’t mean a thing And even if your sentiments ring true You might capture her heart for a minute or two But it’s superficial, she’s still not in love with you If music holds such power then how come all my love songs never work? Oooh I’m a jerk spewing my guts out to people pretending they care about me Oh it’s sad but true that darling, you’re perfectly happy without me Though it breaks my heart well that’s, that’s, that’s a fact (oh yeah) Don’t shed any tears for me (Shed no tears) And spare me all your sympathy (Honestly) I didn’t have the balls to let you know (What a stupid motherfucker) ‘Cause I’m too fucking weak (Far too weak) So I sing instead of speak (Just can’t speak) Yeah I’ll play my stupid song and watch you go (So I’ll watch you go) ‘Cause I never thought that I had a chance to blow But I never asked so how did I ever know? ‘Cause ten thousand love songs mean shit If you simply can’t spit out the truth for real If only I could find the words to tell you face to face how I feel Because no matter how much I sing it will never make you love me
7.
Mistake 03:06
Different people, parallel paths never meant to collide I can show you the light from the dark if you let me inside We could be equals, so trust me, accept me, embrace me with arms open wide I have been through hell and high water defending your name Now I realise that you’re even worse than the whisperers claim Playing with fire, perfidious liar embroiled in a dangerous game ‘Cause you’re so young and immature But then what difference does it make? You’ll never change your ways I’m sure This exercise has been one big mistake It’s hard to spot those who move through the shadows in subtle disguise But we can tell apart the light from the dark if we open our eyes
8.
Flesh & Bone 04:02
If you’re leaving me please wait until the morning Just for one last time pretend that it’s alright You can walk out when the autumn sun is dawning But please don’t leave me in the darkness of the night Please don’t leave me in the darkness of the night I often feel like life is dealing me the joker But I sometimes fail to see the funny side You said we’d both look back and laugh when this was over But now it’s over no-one’s laughing, well you lied Now it’s over no-one’s laughing, well you lied I know that this is not the way you planned it out to be And different people rarely share one individual dream I held you close and closed my eyes and cried “This isn’t happening to me” This isn’t happening to me, this isn’t happening to me Would you listen to the orchestra crescendo Would you listen to the band play on and on Let this music be a spiritual memento For when the flesh and bone of you and I are gone For when the flesh and bone of you and I are gone Well we’ve all been told that nothing lasts forever And that’s a fact of life that isn’t lost on me But if you look back with spite then please remember This was not the way it always had to be This was not the way we always had to be I know that there is warmth and goodness deep inside your heart But that won’t help you when life tears your whole damn soul apart Your wounds are open now and I can see the things you truly are The things you truly are, oh yeah, the things you truly are ‘Cause baby you’re flesh and bone Baby you’re flesh and bone, Just like me, just like everyone Baby you’re flesh and bone Baby you’re going home Just like me, just like everyone I know that flesh and bone is all we really ever are But my how we have grown, at least we made it through this far There’s nothing half as real as the blood from my fingers That drips onto my guitar
9.
Miranda sits alone, she’s done the same for several evenings now Staring out her bedroom window at the island that a streetlight forms Amidst the murky rivers of the gloomy path below Seven billion people in the world and still she’s feeling like The only one whose voice remains unheard She blames the pain in her no-longer teenage brain But all the same she can’t complain, it feels ungrateful to complain And so it goes It’s far from perfect But still she knows That when the dark and bitter night gives way to tender morning light She’ll smile Miranda looks into the future for a change for a while And suddenly she starts to see the scope of opportunity And soon she realises growing up is not so strange Twenty years’ experience in the world, and yet she’s still so young All her happy memories, and yet so many more to come She’s spent the past few evenings being retrospective And nostalgia for the past, well it’s messed with her perspective But she knows that there are things she’s yet to be And places that she’s yet to see And people that she’s yet to meet All waiting for their day to come Miranda’s not the only one Her pessimism is overblown, she smiles and knows that she is not alone
10.
My songs are laced with irony
 They make me sound more serious than I really mean to be
 And though it's good to let your feelings out
 If truth be told I haven't got much to complain about
 The finest friends that I could wish for
 They've taught me how to live my life
 And now I'll share a little something in return
 So friends please follow my advice
 You gotta live laugh love and be happy, live laugh love and be happy
 And I know it sounds simplistic and I know it sounds twee
 But if you're optimistic then I'm sure you'll agree
T hat if you live laugh love and be happy, live laugh love and be happy
 If we live for each other, if we live for our friends
 Then everything will work out in the end
 Another day has come and gone
 So let's all drink too much and then we'll have a singalong
 There's no place I'd rather be
 And there's no way that I can say how much y'all mean to me
 It's all about forgotten evenings, the ones that pass without a care
 It's all about the little moments that we spend and when they blend
 Into memories we share then I'll be proud to say that "I was there"
 'Cause if you love laugh love and be happy, if you live laugh love and be happy
 And I know it sounds simplistic and I know it sounds twee
 But if you're optimistic then I'm sure you'll agree
 That we live laugh love and be happy, if we live laugh love and be happy
 If we live for each other, if we live for our friends
 Then everything will work out
 In the end the good time's got to end, the best things never last
 But when your days are dismal then remember good times past
 The times we danced, the times we laughed the times that went too fast And when I start to sing my song I want the whole damn room to sing along
 And not because they know me and they feel it is polite
 But 'cause the lyrics mean so much to them they need to get them right
 'cause everybody shares one base connection
 We're all heading in one ultimate direction
 That inevitable darkness which we never shall escape
 So sing with me before it's too late
 That's why you gotta live laugh love and be happy, live laugh love and be happy
 And I know it sounds simplistic and I know it sounds twee
 But if you're optimistic then I'm sure you'll agree
 That if you live laugh love and be happy, live laugh love and be happy
 If we live for each other, if we live for our friends then everything will work out
 Well I know I'm no New Jersey boy, but boy I'm having fun
 Pretending I'm Bruce Springsteen or Frank Turner's bastard son
 So if you're still alive out there if I'm not the only one then sing Whoa-oh-oh (Whoa-oh-oh) x 3
11.
It's reached that point of the evening again Where no-one's left around to pretend to listen to my music but you And I've saved the best 'til last, but you already knew, I can tell In the distance the bartender's tolling a bell Saying "Last orders at the bar" for the night A couple of drunkards stir at the sound Temporarily roused from their Jazz Age frames of mind One of them recites some lines from a poem In a mix of drowsiness and drunken ecstacy It's doesn't make sense and he's slurring his words But his friends raise their glasses and nod and agree Oh it's strange, strange how a man and his words Touches the people who've heard just what he has to say And you, listening to me and not them Old faithful, my only friend, have you come to hear me play? And it's you, you every time still sitting and listening intently Though I never hit the high notes, though I always sing the blues And I see, with one song left that I know from memory I'm not singing this for me, no I'm singing this for you So tell the bartender to wait, 'cause I've got one last order to make Please, sit with me, talk to me please I'm begging you down on my knees to stay a while You've stuck with me this far Oh it's true, all that I'm longing to do Is to finish this evening with you Whoever you are Wherever you are
12.
I wrote you a tired old cliché and I scrawled it down just the other day But before the ink had even dried I saw my weary pen hang its nib in shame Well dear, my clever pen, it knew that tired old clichés just won’t do Not when the subject matter’s you – and that’s a cliché but true ‘cause you, you are the song in the beaks of the birds And you are the reason I struggle for words You gave me hope that I had never found before and you say “Hey – That’s what friends are for” Some guy writes a love song for his girl, he claims “I will love you forever” But six months later it’s over, he hates her, and I think to myself, “Well that wasn’t too clever to claim” ‘cause romance may change But through the fire and the rain, true friends may remain, you and I stay the same Y tú, cada hora que paso con tígo me parece menos de un segundo That’s a compliment if you’re not sure but you say “Hey – That’s what friends are for” Are you all I’ve got or all that I’m not, how can mere words express the truth Still there’s one thing left and that thing is you You are the Sun and you are the Light, and you are the pillow I cling to at night You gave me your word, how could I ever ask for more? And you say “Hey – That’s what friends are for” I wrote you a tired old cliché, that’s been said, I wrote ‘til my fateful pen was dead And now that I’ve cleared my head, well I guess we should call it a day my dear And when you hear this you might see how much you really mean to me And if you cry for me with tears I can’t ignore, then I’ll wipe them away And you know what I’ll say, with a smile I’ll say “Hey – That’s what true friends are for”

about

The new album is finally here! After a long summer MEASURE FOR MEASURE is ready. Download for free, or name your price. And if you enjoy it, why not Like me at www.facebook.com/owenfranklinmusic or find out more about the songs at www.owenfranklinmusic.com ?

Thank you for the support, and enjoy it!

credits

released January 25, 2013

OWEN FRANKLIN: vocals (Tracks 1-12) / piano (Tracks 1-12) / Keys (Tracks 3-5, 8, 10, 12) / percussion (Tracks 2, 11) / harmonica (Track 2) / recorder (Track 2)

AUGMENTED 7: backing vocals (Track 6)
JON BEAVIS: drums (Tracks 1-12) / percussion (Tracks 2, 9)
HANNAH BUCKLEY: backing vocals (Tracks 6, 7)
JERRY CROZIER-COLE: rhythm guitar (Tracks 1, 3, 7) / lead guitar (Tracks 3, 5, 7, 9) / bass (Tracks 1, 7) / mandolin (Track 2)
MICHAEL FOXALL-SMITH: backing vocals (Track 10)
SOPHIE HAMMILL: vocals (Track 6)
CHERIF HASHIZUME: backing vocals (Tracks 1, 4, 10) / rhythm guitar (Track 12) / lead guitar (Track 11) / bass (Track 3) / percussion (Tracks 4, 6) / keys (Track 1) / soundscape (Track 12) / strings programming (Track 2)
KAT KLEVE: backing vocals (Tracks 5, 8, 12)
JOSH KOVOOR: trumpet (Track 1)
DAVE MILES: saxophone (Tracks 4, 10, 11)
JAMES MOORE: violin (Track 2)
STEVE ROBSHAW: lead guitar (Track 12)
SIMON TAIT: percussion (Track 11)
MATT THOMAS: bass (Track 12)
TOM WILLIAMS: rhythm guitar (Tracks 1-2, 4-6, 8-11) / lead guitar (Tracks 4, 8, 10) / bass (Tracks 2, 4-6, 8-11) / keys (Tracks 5, 8, 9) / backing vocals (Track 6) / strings programming (Tracks 5, 7, 11)


Music and lyrics © Owen Franklin 2012
All music and lyrics by Owen Franklin
Drums engineered by Matt Thomas
Produced by Tom Williams
Mixed and mastered by Cherif Hashizume, courtesy of Café Music Studios
Album artwork by Gareth Aldridge

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